DSL would use one of the existing lines.
Telephone and DSL would be on the same line.
It doesn't need a seperate line.

And the phone on that line would still be useable while online.

Pooh Bear

The DSL shares a line with a telephone so there is no additional wiring required. to install a DSL service.

When you get the DSL modem and startup kit it will also have some DSL signal splitter filters in the kit.

The DSL startup package contains a software CD for your computer and they tell you to install the software first. At the begining of the CD they have an audio/video tutorial on how to install the filters.
The signal splitters are simply a small plastic block about the size of your thumb with a short wire coming out one end that has a telephone modular plug on it. On the opposite end of the signal splitter you will see two modular jacks molded into the splitter block. One is marked "Telephone" and the other is marked "DSL".

You unplug the phone from the wall jack and plug the splitter in, then plug the phone wire into the "Telephone" jack on the splitter. You then take a telephone wire that has a modular plug on each end and plug one end into the "DSL" jack on the splitter and the other end is plugged into the telephone jack on your computer modem.

The DSL kit comes with about 5 or 6 of the line splitters and you should install one at the wall plug for each telephone in your house. Takes about 30 seconds per phone to install the filters.

The kit also contains a wall plug with a built in DSL filter for wall mounted phones. To install the wall plug you remove your existing wall plug and put the new plug in its place. This is a simple four wire color coded change out that can be done in 5 minutes or less.

Thanks for all the great information. It hit on several concerns I have:
1. Our answering machine is a wall mounted Casio 2 line answering machine. Essentially this phone is just like having 2 answering machine phones in one unit as nearly all the functions are resident only on their phone number (I hope this makes sense). I hope the filtering and mounting isues go smoothly with this phone as the phone serves our needs perfectly.

2. We also have a Siemans 2 line braodcast\wireless unit that has handsets in several rooms. I hope the filtering works with this unit too.

I'm wondering if I will need to put filters on both phone lines.

Also, I got an email today from the DSL company that said the dsl speed I had requested is not available in my area. They are offering "Standard (384 - 1.5 x 128) kbps speed."
How does this speed compare with my current cable modem? (I tested a dial-up modem connection right after we had the second phone number installed - the dial up speed was very low, somewhere around 12K; previously it was 56K. That is mainly why I have cable now).

Most of the time, (not always), cable will be faster than DSL.
I have ADSL 512down/128up. This is slow by even DSL standards.
It is still about 10 times faster than dialup.
And cable would be 3 to 6 times faster than I have.

Filters are for the phone line frequencies.
Phone service comes in on one frequency and DSL is on a higher frequency.
The filter is to filter out the DSL frequency
Any telephone device hooked up to the DSL/phone line will need a filter.

That's the boilerplate answer.
Truth be told I have hooked mine up without the filter before
and can't tell the difference.

Pooh Bear

Thanks for the info. I decided to stick with cable because of the speed. All this started because digital cable television doesn't work right in my home (tv and internet are a bundled package)- in the mornings everything works fine, but in the afternoons and evenings the digital and hdtv channels sometimes work and sometimes don't. The company sent a tech out who couldn't find a problem. I've made lots of calls to the cable company but they haven't been any help.

Anyway, thanks again. - Hal

Comments:

- Telephone service is not carried on a frequency into the home. The technology between the phone and the central office is (aside from the touch tones) identical to what it was in 1935. Despite all the advances in electronics, audio is converted to a variable resistance equivalent that's compatible with the old-fashioned telephone microphone: a pack of carbon particles under a diaphram.

- The DSL filters filter out the DSL, which is carried on a complex set of high frequencies. Only the telephone (basic electricity) is passed through the filters. Telephone service uses two different DC voltages. A high AC voltage rings the bell.
- I'm more comfortable with DSL than with cable for internet service. My DSL service uses the telco's DSL circuits between my house and my internet provider. My ISP is _not_ the phone company. I got rotten internet service from my telco when I was their customer. Going to a small regional provider gives me excellent service -- the telco only provides the wires between us. This arrangement isn't possible with cable -- with cable service, you're stuck with whomever your cable company contracts with to be the ISP because the cable company is not a "common carrier."

Richard